Jayhawks flocked to Elijah Johnson in victorious locker room

Call from dad most meaningful in wake of 39-point game; Self, Elijah forgive Iowa State

Kansas head coach Bill Self gives a congratulatory pat to Elijah Johnson after the Jayhawks' 108-96 overtime win over Iowa State on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

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Elijah Johnson, who has orchestrated several postgame locker room celebrations for various Kansas University basketball teammates this season, on Monday was the honoree in Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum.

“I knew our guys liked Elijah, but I didn’t realize how much they respected him and liked him until after the game. I have never seen a group of guys more happy for one guy than they were for Elijah,” KU coach Bill Self said of senior point guard Johnson, who was mobbed by his buddies behind closed doors after conducting a postgame ESPN interview.

Johnson, who scored 39 points in KU’s overtime victory against Iowa State, admits he was touched by the mob scene.

“A lot of times I’m trying to be the one to hype somebody up or shoot good feelings to somebody else. I’m usually not the one everybody’s doing it for. I’m not used to it being me,” Johnson said. “My team made me feel good. They cheered me on the whole time, told me, ‘good job.’ That’s all I had to hear from them at the time.”

Johnson has received a batch of text messages and phone calls since his explosive scoring effort.

“It might sound simple and boring but my dad. That was a person I was looking forward to hearing from,” Johnson said of his most special call. “He knows how to get that smile out of me and make me feel a certain way, I guess you could say.”

While feeling love from Jayhawk nation, Johnson experienced hate from two Cyclone students who sent him racist and threatening Twitter messages. Amid an ISU investigation into the students’ behavior, ISU student government president Jared Knight sent an apology to KU’s chancellor and athletic department on Wednesday.

“Definitely,” Johnson said, asked if he accepted the apology. “I mean at the end of the day they are fans. They care. I am past it. I think we all should be past it. I think it’s in the past.

“I honestly am not having a hard time dealing with it because I am real good with blocking out the negative stuff,” he added “It’s something about being able to man up and not pay attention to certain things. That’s what I’ve always been able to do. My dad taught me that at a young age so I don’t feed into certain things you’d think the average person would. I think it’s that simple honestly.”

KU coach Bill Self also accepts the apology. “The Iowa State student body has responded in a way that left no doubt where they stood on the things that were said and the issues. That’s good enough for me,” Self said.

Here’s a copy of the letter from Knight, president of the student body of Iowa State, to KU officials:

“At approximately 10:45 p.m., on Monday, Feb. 25, two Iowa State students began tweeting a series of reprehensible and disgusting messages toward the University of Kansas basketball team and one player in particular. Though the individuals’ accounts have been deleted, those messages contained threats of violence as well as derogatory, racial slurs. Another tweet today made similar comments toward one of the referees — an African-American — from the game.

“On behalf of all students of Iowa State University, I apologize to Elijah Johnson, the students at the University of Kansas and anyone else who read these hateful and disgusting tweets. I am embarrassed to be associated with these individuals and I unequivocally condemn their statements. This conduct is so far removed from the open-minded and accepting culture of Iowa State students that I have witnessed in my four years on campus.

“That there are people who still think, talk and act like these students is stunning to me, and it sadly reminds us that there is much work to do in eliminating racism and violence from our society. These individuals are a disgrace to our student body and our university, and we sincerely apologize to everyone affected by this incident.”

ISU’s dean of students, Pamela Anthony, told the Ames Tribune she could not comment on any specific actions the university may take as a result of an investigation of the tweets. Deputy Chief Rob Bowers of the ISU Department of Public Safety told the Tribune his office is involved, but it is unknown if criminal charges will be filed. Anthony told the AP the school is “repulsed by the derogatory and threatening statements.”

Wise statement?: Self questioned the Big 12’s deciding to issue a statement that indicated the officials in Monday’s game will have future assignments reassessed for mistakes made in the game.

“I really believe and I’m not speaking behind the Big 12 office’s back, that I think we’re on the verge of crossing the line, that I think isn’t good,” Self said. “I am concerned that now we’ve opened up Pandora’s box that now anytime something happens in the future, we have to make a comment about it. I always thought you handled your situations in-house. Since we put out that there will be some type of disciplinary action possibly, now the next thing is, all you guys (media) are going to wonder, ‘Tell us what that is. What is it?’ All it does is open up for more questions. I’m not saying right, wrong, indifferent. What I’m saying is that I think we’ve opened ourselves up now to different things.”

Self said he hadn’t been told by the league office which of the officials’ calls were incorrect.

“We were the beneficiary of the one play that received all the attention because it was game point,” Self said of a no-call on a possible charge by Johnson, noting there were “other plays in the game, too.”

When asked if the NCAA instead of the conferences should handle officiating, Self said; ‘I think a lot of coaches would love getting it under one umbrella ... the rules are the same; it’s just that style sometimes dictates a little differently how it’s called. You get to the NCAA Tournament and there’s no more style. You call the game the way the rules are written.”

1,000 wins unlikely: Self, who has 500 coaching victories, was asked if he’ll stick around long enough to win 500 more. “There will not be another 500, unless they allow us to start playing 80 games a year. That would be the only way. That means that I would have to coach a long time. I would have to coach until I am your (media member) age and I don’t want to do that, so I don’t think that will happen,” Self said with a smile.

More like this story on KUsports.com

Comments

If the apology is good enough for Coach Self and Elijah Johnson, then it is good enough for me. Let us hope that cooler heads are prevailing. KU-ISU has always been a clean rivalry - let's hope it stays that way.

Actually, I had forgotten about that - probably because I did not consider it to be a big deal. Marcus Smart's backflip did not bother me either. Actually, it was a bit of a compliment. I doubt he would do that after winning in most other arenas.

Those tweeters are idiots. I think threatening people like that (an potentially inciting others to do harm) is a crime, no? Iowa State should look long and hard to see if these morons are worthy of attending their school.

Ohhhh no no no. You must have some short term memory loss my dear friend. Do not forget the rivalry KU has had with MU for the past 115 years of Basketball, that stemmed from 150 + years of "border war" conflicts dating back to the Pre Civil War era. There have been on court brawls with MU. Not to mention numerous other occurences from either side. In my opinion MU fans are much more prone to violence and racially tinged behaviors than anyone else in our conference ever was or will be.

Okay, so a couple of dirty incidents. You can have that with any rivalry. BUT, the fans do not generally get into brawls. I once witnessed some harmless badgering at a women's game at Municipal Auditorium between KU and ISU fans, but it did not amount to much - that is about the worst I have witnessed in this rivalry. Nobody got hurt.

the article says wise statement? I think it was a wise statement by Bill and agree. Although I put less blame on the big 12 and feel like they were forced into making a statement with as much espn and fraschilla talking about the bad call. It's one thing to say you don't agree with the call or that you thought the refs missed one. (Dickie V said that it was a bad charge call on T-Rob in Columbia last year, but he didn't go on and on about it) Fran Fraschilla just kept going on and on about the call and saying "it bothers me" Then ESPN kept talking about it also and I believe that is why the Big 12 put out the statement to appease a lot of people. It basically was the fact that the bad call happened to a "little guy" and for the "big guy" that espn had to keep mentioning it and forcing the big 12 into a statement. I remember Doug Gottlieb commenting that the T-Rob charge should have been an "and1" on Sportscenter, but because it wasn't a bad call going against a "little guy," thus making it less newsworthy on espn, the big 12 didn't need to come out and say we are reviewing it, or to say that it was a bad call when it happened against us.

Question for KU fans: I have noticed ISU fans posting youtube of refs not giving an isu player a 2nd free throw from a game 9 years ago and it reminded me of the KU-MU game last year in Lawrence that wanted to see if anyone else had same opinion as me, but I haven't ever seen anyone talk about it ever. In the 2nd half, Releford gets fouled in what looks like a shooting foul and ref at bottom of tv screen who makes call raises hand and waits to see if ball goes in and also doesn't wave hands to signal no shot like he should if was on the floor. It is MU's 7th team foul and Releford gets a 1 and 1 and misses front end instead of getting 2nd shot. Of which I was yelling at tv because it was midst of that huge comeback and we needed every point and instead felt like a turnover. I never saw anyone talk about it later though maybe because we won, but also didn't see any coaches complaining to refs right after either. Did anyone else notice that, or if you have video of game, check it out and tell me what you think.

I am glad that they are addressing that tweet from the third guy. That one was just as disgusting. I posted a link about it yesterday, but it got removed. No hard feelings to kusports.com for pulling it. Looking back on it, I can understand why it was TOSsed.

brutus, you are obviously a troll and not a Kansas fan. Yes we won both games with ISU and they both went into overtime. Kansas outscored ISU 36 - 16 in the overtimes combined. I would say clearly the best team won by playing the entire game. Scoreboard.

They had every opportunity to win the game in overtime, score back to even, they didn't. If you want to throw bad-calls around, Withey's 3rd foul was complete crap! There were A LOT of bad fouls that didn't go our way. Those just didn't happen in the waning moments of regulation. They got robbed on ONE call. They could have made up for that on OT, but they didn't step up.

brutus, u r more like olive oil. and u r definitely not a K.U. fan(probably m.u., k.s.u., or i.s.u.! did u watch the whole game, u idiot. did u see Jeffs charge call, that was not a charge, and put him on the bench with foul trouble. and there were lots of other calls that did not go our way. and Hornhawk is right, to bring to your attention, the alley oop that went in, and counted for 3 points, for i.s.u. oh, how easily (or should I say, how conveniently) people only remember, what they want to remember. olive, u r pathetic!

You guys don't know me at all. KU grad 1975. I can't watch the pre-game video without tears streaming down my face and goose-bumps popping up all over. I would root for the Soviet National team to beat Missouri.
I just like to pound teams and win clean. If those situations had been reversed people would be livid.

If the situation was reversed I'd be mad at the refs but madder at my players for not showing up in overtime. As for the first game vs. Iowa State, I don't know what you're talking about; it was a great game that we won fair and square. No apologies necessary in either case.

That was a charge. If it's "no-call end of the game" situation then Niang certainly shouldn't have been called for the reach after the no call. I couldn't agree more that those are crap calls. However, Niang slid a little and flopped a little. EJ didn't bull him over plus the end of the game might equal a no call. I my opinion however, that's a charge and the end of game no call thing is weird but somehow necessary. That being said it seemed a little too early for the end of game, which somehow makes sense to me even though there were only 5 seconds left. I thought that end of game thing was more for buzzer-beaters.

All of that being said. . . the game wasn't over!!!! If it was a charge who's to say that he misses one freethrow and EJ bombs in another three.

Plus there is the chances they had in both games in overtime. In sports, as well in life, some $#&* ain't fair but there is often time to recover and triumph. ISU didn't do that in either game in OT.

Re: the "pure slop" aspect of your comment, let's not forget the ISU player (Lucious?) guarding McLemore on the regulation ending 3 @ AFH, confessed he fouled 23 on the play. As such a) the foul affected the shot and likely caused/contributed to the "slop" you claim and b) should have lead to a free-throw opportunity that could have ended the game in regulation.

Regardless, ISU was even up @ the start of each OT and absolutley failed to respond effectively.

My only issue with this whole incident is the deletion of the offending Twitter posts. The framers of the constitution did not delete amendments that were later nullified. They left them in place for all to see so they could be forever reminded of past mistakes.

The same should be true for these two idiots. Don't delete the posts. Leave them out there with names, handles and/or faces attached so everyone can see who they're dealing with. I'd suspect a few lost job opportunities and lost friends would make these dolts wise up and realize how important it is to measure your words before uttering them.

The accounts were deleted by the individuals responsible for the tweets in the first place, not anyone else. They knew what they had done, and were hoping that it would go relatively unnoticed. Welcome to today's world of screenshots.

Kind of an odd analogy considering the exercise of the First Amendment would include the right to edit what you write and that very amendment took about a dozen drafts that were deleted to end up with our current amendment.

Why is it an odd analogy? The 18th Amendment to the Constitution, for instance, pertains to prohibition. Once states realized how clogged up the court systems were getting because of alcohol-related cases they decided to repeal it. In doing so, they didn't strike the 18th Amendment from the record as if it never existed. They left it in the document and then ratified the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th. But you can still see evidence of prohibition in the document today.

Now, carry that analogy to the Twitter-sphere. Why protect these two imbeciles by removing their comments and pretending they didn't happen? As pathetic as they and their comments are, they should be left there online as a reminder why you shouldn't speak without thinking. If they so choose, they can certainly issue Twitter apologies for their previous posts, but paving over free speech, even misguided free speech, is opening up a large can of nightcrawlers IMO.

Twitter has a TOS that users agree to just like this site and if you violate Twitter's TOS enough times or egregiously enough once, they have the right to delete the offending account just like this site does.

I would like an apology from the refs for the first 39 mins of the game and one from isu for the "F___ KU" chant, one for an alum even coming near our coach, one for throwing stuff on our players as they left the court, one for the alley oop that when in.........

and an apology from espy and their pathetic repeatedly showing only the ending of the game, and not reporting how bad some of the calls were that went against K.U., but more than that, for them repeatedly showing Hoibergs son crying. that seemed to get a lot more sympathy for Iowa State, on a National level. it seems like espn has a problem with Kansas. and they announcers were pathetic, also!!!

I want to apologize for apologizing. 1. I have never watched a basketball game that did not have a bad call by a ref. 2. I have never watched a basketball game that did not have a poor sport spouting unruly remarks at the opposing team. Did they go overboard some....yes. Should we take the higher route and move on, just like EJ has done....yes. These things happen and we just need to let our play on the court speak for us. RCJH!

It was just a few fans that caused the trouble and does not reflect on the school, the team or the rest of the fans. The only apologies needed are from those few who engaged in the poor and possibly illegal behavior. But, as we KU fans know, a few of our arrogant and immature fans have inflamed others to the point they hate us.

Suspensions only, are they serious?! It would have cost most of us our jobs. Hopefully ISU knows something we don't know about these fine upstanding young men, like they were saints up to this point, but I doubt it. I hope they at least made sure they don't own guns. In today society with campus violence, this warrants an investigation by the police.

I don't think they're biased against Kansas per se, just biased in favor of the scrappy underdog trying to pull the upset. That's the way I am, too, when watching say, Duke vs. Virginia last night, or Kentucky vs. Vandy last year. It's human nature. But whatever the reason, it is very frustrating watching the national media obsess over that non-call while ignoring how well EJ and our guys played.

Sorry, but it's a heck of a lot more than the comments of two morons on twitter that make people believe there's still along way to go on the issue of race. Spend a little time on message boards on news sites or sports pages, and though it's usually a little more coded, though often not always, you'll see that given the protection of anonymity, racism is still rampant in people's attitudes. Secondly, all you have to do is look at how sharply the outcomes for whites and minorities, in terms of education, employment, and the criminal justice system diverge to see that racism is still systemic to the U.S. Either you have to say "black people have a problem" or you have to say "America still has a race problem" when you look at several indicators. For example, discrepancies in employment and poverty rates or when you look at the fact that 1 out of 8 African American males between 18-34 are in prison compared to something like 1 out of 34 white males. Or in other terms, blacks account for 40% of the prison population even though they account for less than 14% of the total population. In almost any meaningful measurement of well-being, on average, you are still better off being white in America than black (or hispanic).

Well stated. While uncommon for such information to appear on any sports "blog", given the context of this discussion, I believe it is appropriate; as well as useful in the larger arena of public discussion.

Windmill ... can't refute your facts, but by blaming this on a white vs. black problem is a racist viewpoint in and of itself. I would challenge you to look no further than the political environment we are currently experiencing and you'll see that it has put in reverse whatever progress we have made in 'racial relations' in the last 50 years. The major message coming out of Washington these days is 'us vs them', 'haves and have nots'. This constant message just creates anger and resentment on both sides instead of unity and working together. Sorry for the political statement in the midst of the KUSports blog but I couldn't let that perspective just slip by.

HOW 'BOUT OUR HAWKS! Bring on #9! (By the way ... these new uniforms are really ugly)

Thanks for the measured reply. I know that talking politics (or religion) on a message board is faux pas and I hesitate to do it myself. At the same time, one of the really redeeming qualities about sports, especially given how much attention we pay to them, is that often they can become a powerful lens through which cultural and political debates come into focus. For example, when the NFL was on strike, it was fascinating to me to see how people understood the situation through competing ideological lenses about economics and the rights of workers versus employers.

In regards to your comments about "us vs them" thinking, I'm not sure if you are talking in general about partisan gridlock or in particular about race relations. Without really jumping into a huge discussion, I would only say that, in my opinion, any "us vs them" as in "black vs white" messages that people are getting from Obama, are not coming from Obama, but our generated in our countries anxieties about a black president. If somehow we had to go and argue this in court, I genuinely don't think that one could produce much evidence that Obama had "played the race card". Instead, I think what you'd find is that a lot of white folk (of whom I am a part), consciously or not, still feel a degree of threat when faced with a black man in a position of authority. I know that race is a really contentious issue and that it is hard to talk about without people feeling like they are being personally accused of being a secret member of the KKK or something. For me though, that anxiety and tension and quick-reaction that people often have to the issue, shows that whatever you happen to think about the issue, it still is an issue.

I couldn't care less about the color of Mr. Obama's skin. I in no way have anxiety about having a black president. As long he is for US and he is acting in our, all Americans, best interest. Didn't vote for him but I know many whites who did wanting Hope & Change. After he was elected I was hopeful he could make a difference and he hasn't. My anxiety is what this man stands for and what he is doing to this truly remarkable country we live in. I have 2 very young granddaughters and I'm saddened by what this country is likely to look like as they grow up and the incredible debt we are leaving on their shoulders with no attempt to stop the downward spiral. Is it all on Mr. Obama, no, but he swings a very big stick, questionably unconstitutionally, on those issues that will help him and I don't see him doing the same related to the issues that will help greater America. There are just not enough lives to tax to cover the debt and spending we are doing. If I were to do that personally or professionally I'd be seen as totally irresponsible and bankrupt. Why can our government do this with our money as if it were their own? My original point, Windmill, is color has nothing to do with it. It's an ideology that says if I'm not willing to work hard and try to make it on my own then someone owes me some of theirs. I give nearly 25% of my income to support many non-profit organizations, I don't want the government choosing who gets my support and who doesn't. The more people the government can get looking to them for handouts the more entrenched that administration who is giving away free stuff. No one is going to vote against getting "their" free stuff. Whatever happened to "Ask not what your country can do for you ... ask what you can do for your country". I 'm seeing a very selfish and self-centered society emerge asking "What's in it for me". This is a very slippery slope our country is on right now. We'll either continue to be a free, innovative and prosperous people or one that is held down at every turn waiting for our government to tell us what we can do, own, keep and even think. That, sir, is not America the Beautilful ... the land of the Jayhawks ... ROCK CHALK!!!!!!

"Some Utterly Implausible Explanations for Rogue Behavior of a Few ISU Students"

~Eating too much GM corn on the cob.

~HAARP in Gakona strikes again.

~MK/Ultra still trying to matriculate a few flawed St. Elizabeth's experiments.

~Round-Up tainted weed just starting to hit Ames.

~Sun Spots.

~SSRIs titrated up too high AGAIN.

~Campus parking tickets dusted with Ames strain of anthrax bacterium made them first sick, then crazy, then Tweeters.

~Al Qaeda 2.0 made them do it.

~Syrian rebels receiving $60M in nonlethal aid from SecState John Kerry made them do it.

~Mrs. Eleanor Iselin and the Queen of Diamonds made them do it.

~First pope to resign in 600 years planted the tweets to distract folks from the story about the $1.8 billion reputedly moved inexplicably from IOR (a Vatican bank) to a Milan affiliate of JP Morgan over the last 18 months.

~Illuminati infiltrating ISU to start shaping conference realignment made them do it as a loyalty test.

Shallow apology when there is no mention of the court-side attempted assualt of Coach Bill Self by the ISU booster buster. Nor was there a mention of the fans pelting KU players with debris from the stands! This public apology was nothing more than the hollow shell of a politically correct action!!

Both teams played their hearts out Monday night and delivered one of the most exciting college BB games of the season thus far. As in every contest, someone's heart is going to be broken. Not one play took this victory from ISU,,, Not one play gifted this victory to KU,,, It was hard fought from the opening tip to the final buzzer of OT. Poor officiating all night on both sides of the ball. Great play by ALL the guys on BOTH teams. Rock Chalk Jayhawks, I'm proud to be represented by such a classy group of young men. Thanks for the magical night EJ!

When Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S.
Grant the terms were: No Reprisals, No trials for treason, the confederate soldiers were to go to their homes and obey the laws where they reside.

This was a very emotional game for some Iowa State Fans. I would ask that Iowa State University be as magnanimous as General Grant, and let the fans return to normal lives, without harassment from authorities.

Wrong dude, any threat of shooting needs to be taken seriously. There are too many responsible gun owners who are at risk of losing their constitutional right to own a weapon because of these irresponsible individuals making, and acting on threats.

The Confederate soldiers did not start a war, they were only doing their duty as they seen it. No sporting event compares to war, PERIOD.

Perhaps. We are speculating based on limited info. I bet my degree that Dr. Zenger is on this situation, and we have no worries. Like 'The Wolf' in Pulp Fiction.

By the way, Lee swore support the constitution when he went to 'West Point' and had to resign his commission and get the resignation accepted before, he could join the 'Army of Virginia', and would be acting in a similar manner as John Brown, a civilian taking up arms against the Union(gets complicated). Have a nice day. Your point taken. When I was in sports, years ago, it was common to have persons say: I am going to kill you, I am going to knock your head off, I am going to displace anatomic parts, etc.

That is true. Racism, racial inequality, race relations (however it is defined) is not equal, just, right or free (however it is defined).

Many of us fall into a shell of, "oh it's all equal now, everyone is the same." When anyone starts to think about the realities of the situation, nationwide, we can see that there is work to be done. That being said the progress being made now for equality in America is great, and Americans, especially young Americans, fight hard for equality and fight hard against injustice. . . . but there are always going to be idiots like these tweeters.

Next, there should be an apology from ESPN to the NCAA officials for dwelling on 2 no calls. Ask any Division 1 starter if a ref has ever made a bad call on them. I think the response would be unanimous.

People in Iowa are passionate about their sports and they have long memories. I live in Des Moines and have a job that brings me into contact with the general public every day. There are still some folks who, when they find out that I'm a KU alum, start ventilating about how we "stole" Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison from them. They seem to forget that both ISU and UI were going through coaching changes at the time, and they decommitted when the coaches who had recruited them left. Reminding them doesn't usually make much difference.

I too would like to know what ISU is going to do about the guy who charged Coach Self? Probably not much since he's a big donor. However he's also received a distinguished service award recently from the ISU Alumni Association and been on their Board of Directors, so his behavior reflects more directly on the university than a few wingnut students posting on twitter.

Classy of ISU. I always thought they were better than the behavior demostrated this week. I can imagine the horror when it dawned on them how MU'ish or KSU'ish they were acting. Good for them, let's move on to the last games and the B12 Tourney, and beyond!

If you are referring to me, you are wrong. I have been a KU fan for probably more years than you've been alive. The letter from the ISU Student Body President was not something he had to do. It was classy of him to write and send that letter. Just think if the shoes were on the other feet and some of our "fans" had acted that way towards their players and coach.

Cheers to the two of you for turning the other cheek. It’s nice that both of you can take the high road and compliment the action of said ISU Student Body President. However your naivety is astounding! Of course he HAD to submit a public apology,,, If not him it would’ve come from someone else ASSociated with ISU. The Student Body President just happened to draw the short straw. The ISU fan reaction to the loss of this BB game got out of hand in a hurry. Once the ugliness and criminal extent of their actions went public ISU HAD NO CHOICE!!! To give them any credit of class for offering a half-baked political apology is not warranted. By no means do I want to wallow in this manure pit that ISU has created, but I will not provide ISU a golden ladder to climb their way out.

I’ve always been a big believer that one’s true character is revealed during times of adversity and defeat. Prior to the ISU game EJ and his character had been tested and scrutinized under the microscope,,, The man that deserves you compliments on class is Elijah Johnson!! Rock Chalk!!

If we are accepting apologies for past wrongs, then here are some people that should be contacting Kansas Athletic Department very soon:
Gerry McNamara,
WSU’s Mike Jones
The Antlers
Ali Farokhmanesh
DeAndre Daniels
Lew Perkins
Brock Berglund
And of course, Jack Henry.

Little surprised that Coach Hoiberg didn't anticipate some problems and "put" out the warnings: (1) disruptive crowd before the game, (2) F-bombing the KU team and fans throughout the game (his 4 kids ought to be proud), (3) Trowing trash at KU ala MU and KSU, (4) Hoiberg offering no post-game admonishments, (5) Hoiberg offering pre-game comments that Hilton is one of the "underrated arenas" in the country, guess he prooved that. Always gave ISU a "pass" compared to MU and KSU, need to re-think that now.He's got to learn from MU, "you live by the three, you die by the three"

No. ISU didn't sanction that crap. It's typical liberal mentality ... it makes them feel better to apologize for idiots that they have no control over. They sleep better. They nod their heads approvingly at their thoughtful actions. They think it means something, that they have righted a wrong. But they .. ISU .. didn't do anything. It is a waste of time and effort. Save the whales. Earth Day. Coexist.

At least this effort to make everyone feel better didn't cost us any tax dollars.

Atl: I agree with you there. I really REALLY try not to inject politics here.Would much rather discuss KU hoops and this is the spot to do it. I had a moment of weakness on this, and then just had to follow-up. Your point is well taken. I'll shut up now.

JayD: I see HEM comments as being exactly that, "actions speak louder than words". People need to be held accountable for their actions, a simple "my bad" is not acceptable and I would hope that a majority of the people in Iowa feel that all three of these individuals should do public service.

Even Bart Simpson would agree he should write 100 times on the blackboard "I will not degrade or threaten others after a sporting event".

Since you brought it up, yes, it is a liberal mentality to feel a sense of responsibility for and towards one's community.

I guess the flip side conservative mentality would be to deny any accountability--"I didn't do it--it ain't got nuthin to do with me."
Or to defend the poster's right to free speech on a constitutional basis.

But I must admit to feeling a little disappointed that someone with an analytical mind as typically sharp as yours reduces complex political ideologies like conservatism and liberalism to these watered-down antagonistic versions that are more often seen on Fox News and MSNBC.

I DON'T AGREE!!!!! With all the Violent behaviour in the U.S. lately, those threatening comments should be taken seroiusly by Law enforement in Iowa and possibly Kansas as well. With all the violent acts occurring any threat should be investigated and prosecuted as well. People need to understand that threats and violence will NOT be tolerated by anyone toward anyone else just because they are angry about something. It has to stop now. Jail time might send a strong message that you can't get mad and vent whatever you want without consequences.

dew is right on and what everyone here seems to miss. The one tweet was flat out saying that he had 30 rounds and was inviting anyone else with a gun to meet him at the KU bus to shot some N's... How is this not just offensive but a flat out outrage to EVERYONE. If myself or anyone on the site were to post that they had 30 rounds and were going to some elementary school or business, etc. our butts would be leaving our homes in handcuffs. I don't see this as a couple of idiot knuckle head or wing nuts. I see this individual as dangerous whether it was just bravado or a real threat. period.

Statistically, I read where a child is vastly more likely to be struck by lightening than to be shot in a school. I am mentioning this to relieve decent parents of some of the unrealistic fears that are being raised in them as our administration carries out its incremental efforts to disarm the American public. Not taking a stand here on guns. Just trying to tell parents with children, that the place to worry about your children being subjected to gun violence is NOT in our schools, but in our homes and neighborhoods. And I have not yet found statistics on comparative risk for children in homes and neighborhoods yet.

Put another way, our schools are already doing a great job of policing our schools without police.

And based on the police's record of holding down gun violence out on the streets, well, its best to keep the cops out of the schools, except for public relations visits. Few if any police are trained to deal with our children in an educational environment.

The BEST way to increase sustain high levels of school safety AND improve teaching is to hire a lot more teachers and turn out a lot better educated kids from smaller classrooms. Doing this will have the huge ripple effect of creating a vastly better educated population of citizens less likely to be duped by propaganda and vastly more likely to get available jobs, and start new businesses that create jobs.

One reason you can't find a lot of detailed statistics about gun violence is that since 1994, despite the NRAs (highly profitable) fear-mongering, up until the Newtown shooting, there has been zero federal legislation that attempted to restrict people's ability to purchase weapons. In fact, the only legislation that was passed were laws to prevent federal agencies from using public funds to research gun violence. These laws were passed because the research that was completed showed two things: 1) people who had guns in their house were much more likely to be a victim of gun violence (counting suicide) than people who did not have guns in their house and 2) it was much more likely for the gun to be used on someone in the house than on an intruder. The problem for both sides, is that the research was cut off before they could come to any strong conclusion about what this data meant and what if anything, would help reduce the risk of gun violence. The reason the NRA was against this research was, besides the fact that such data suggests that perhaps guns don't make you safer, because the primary fear was that insurance companies would use this information to raise rates on those who own guns, just as people who smoke pay higher car and health insurance. This is part of the reason they are so against allowing doctors to be able to ask patients if they have guns in the house (in addition to, in my humble opinion, the rather far-fetched fear, that the government is going to begin raiding people's homes and confiscating their weapons). Like most things I suppose, the real story is about money.

Now that there will be no reversal of the outcome, we can now come clean. This was all an elaborate setup to keep us tied with K State. HCBS knew the Jayhawks were in for a tough game, so he called the Morris Twins and Jeff Graves to take out two of the officials. Into their place he put in Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed, knowing that the game would come down to a call/no call in the last few seconds. This move paid off when EJ drove the lane drawing a blocking call on Niang. Knowing that ISU can't play in overtime games Coach Self had them where he wanted them.This kept us tied with KSU, and since the Jayhawks have beaten them twice, they hold the tie breaker. This also gives the Mizzou crowd something to bitch about, Kansas getting everything, since they have had their a$$es handed to them in both football and basketball in the SEC. Yes , Bill Self is a cunning coach, and the ISU booster had it figured out, but the police stopped him from bringing it to light. Now he looks like a fool and everyone is apologizing to KU. This, people, was a stroke of genious.

Does anyone know if Rio Adams flocked to E.J. and congratulate him in the locker room after the Iowa State game? lol I wonder if Rio now realizes that there is a reason a coach sticks with their veterans, who they have grown to trust, over time? If he is ever an upper class man (hopefully at K.U.), and goes through a slump, I bet he would not want Coach to replace him.

I hope everyone had a chance to watch Sports Center (SC) last night. The Miami Heat performed their version of the Harlem Shake, and SC showed part of the K.U., Harlem Shake Video, as a "Lead In", to Miami's version. Rock Chalk, Baby!

Self and Elijah have forgiven Iowa State, but, have Self and Elijah forgive each other? Every picture I see of the two of them, they do not make eye contact and their body language is not he friendliest. Did Self cross the line with Elijah?

I was wondering wbout Elijah's relationship with Coach Self immediately after the game when Elijah talked about him having a "personal conversation" with Coach. "The kind of conversation that generally happens in the locker room, behind closed doors, only this time it happened on the court." Elijah indicated that this conversation got him really fired up and then his teammates rallied around him in support.

To me it didn't sound like Elijah was very happy at all about what transpired in that conversation. But whatever was said, EJ caught fire. My guess is, if EJ continues to play like that he and Coach Self will be best friends the rest of the season.

Not one person seems to have commented on the most alarming aspect of this article. On a far too regular basis over the last 6-8 months, Coach has been commenting on how he does not want to coach that long. He's talking like a man who may not have 5 years left in him. At a minimum, I had hoped he would break Coach Allen's record and add a couple more NCs. It is conceivable to think that recruits could begin to interpret. Bottom line, he's such a good man and he's been so good for KU. Obviously, the day will come, but it's alarming to keep hearing the reminders that make it sound like the day may be far sooner than we would all want.

First of all the apology was well constructed. There's only so much you can say when addressing stupid, and as we all know; you can't fix stupid. Thanks Ron White

Second, I attended an ISU game in Ames during Ted Owens last year. That's 1983 for some of you kids not born yet. The students I was around were not very pleasant then either. And yes, there is stupid at every university.

Third, the contract with Addidas is up after this year. Will be interesting to see who we re-up with.

Fourth, bring on that 9th regular season championship. This team has found it's groove, and if Elijah is "back", it will be an interesting finish through March and into April.

Interesting article about player safety today on fox sports. At first it's funny because of Coach K and Duke spouting off at Va fans. But it brings up a really good point. In a court storming situation, the losing team needs to be ushered off the court quickly and safely. Interesting that Bill Self was talking about player safety after we win at ISU because "the fans were too close to the players".

Duke and Kansas know what it's like to have the court stormed. It's sad that fans can't just celebrate the win without hurling insults and attacks at the losing team.

"a statement that indicated the officials in Monday’s game will have future assignments reassessed for mistakes made in the game"

Indicated? What a load of crap.

Nothing will happen to these officials except possibly to change assignments to keep them out of ISU for a while...and it won't be for punishment...it'll be for the benefit of the officials just to keep them out of harms way for a while.

Conference officials are in inbred group of good ole boys interested in only one thing...keeping the lucrative pay checks rolling in. Curtis Shaw as the supervisor of officials? That's like putting John Brown in charge of reconstruction.

If their performance in the ISU game from opening tap to the end of OT was really objectively reviewed the only conclusion would be a failing grade and their future career as Big12 officials in jeopardy.

The more likely scenario is that behind closed doors, Shaw will tell them not to worry...just keep your heads down...it'll all blow over and you'll be back to business as usual.

I'll be glad to eat my words when some type of definitive punishment is announced...not just "indicated".

This season is shaping up like a couple of years ago when most of the top seeds in the tournament will have 4 or 5 or 6 losses. KU should lose at most one more game this year. #1 Indiana has 4 losses and still has Ohio St. and @ Michigan. #2 Gonzaga has 2 losses, but probably won't lose again. #3 Duke has 4 losses and has Miami and @ North Carolina. #4 Michigan has 5 losses and has Mich St. and Indiana. #5 Miami is at Duke on Sat. So, if the season plays out like I think, Gonzaga might very well be the overall #1 seed, and Indiana, Kansas, and Miami/Duke get the other #1 seeds....

Regardless of what happens, most analysts agree that Gonzaga might be a #1 seed but it will not be the overall #1. Their conference schedule is just too weak. The West Coast Conference is ranked 10th, below the Missouri Valley that is ranked 9th, according to Sagarin

It was a great game...classic in many aspects. It's not the first game of the year with lousy calls/non calls, and it won't be the last. The Big 12 office should have handled it internally and I don't see ESPN going on such a tirade when Duke gets calls or non calls.

ISU had plenty of chances to put the game away, but these hawks are resilient.

It was a great game...classic in many aspects. It's not the first game of the year with lousy calls/non calls, and it won't be the last. The Big 12 office should have handled it internally and I don't see ESPN going on such a tirade when Duke gets calls or non calls.

ISU had plenty of chances to put the game away, but these hawks are resilient.

I feel like it's Ben's turn for a big game again. Look for him to have 22 of those 70. But I still expect another decent game from Elijah (like 15 or 16). So those two combined will have ~ 1/2 our pts. Withey had an AWESOME 1st half last time against them.....I think they'll be focused on shutting him down. I look for a good G game for us this go-round. Last time we had some BAD TO's otherwise we'd've likely won in a blowout even at their place.

I for one would hope that if the tables were turned, that KU would make such a statement as well. Fair or not fair, many people associate Kansas with being flat, boring, anti-science education, and the home of the Westboro Baptist Church. In fact, I've had many arguments with people from the east who claimed that Kansas was a southern and not a midwestern state. Again, for or not fair, we all know the connotations that "the south" still has. In fact, it's really kind of stupid when Big XII fans insult other states and schools in the conference about being "hicks", because sadly, the other 200 million people in the U.S. who don't live in the Midwest, think the whole region is "hicks" and that "hick" means stupid and bigoted. I'd want KU to loudly distance themselves from fan behavior such as this and to make it clear that we didn't think that racial slurs and violent threats were just people "getting a little carried away." A little over two months ago, twenty 5-year old children got ripped apart by an assault rifle and racial slurs resonate with centuries of violence against minorities. There are still many people alive today who lived in a time when a racial slur might have been the last thing someone heard right before being lynched. This is isn't ancient history and it isn't a joke.

Randle on the phone, "Hey BMac, I'm thinking of committing to KU for next year. You going to stick around?"
BMac - "Man, I dunno. My Mom sure could use a big house."
Randle - "Understood, but it could be the best year of your life at KU while we rule the land."
BMac - "Very true, and I could work on my inside game. I doubt I'll lean much next year playing 10 min a game."
Randle - "I'm in if you're in."
BMac - "I just spoke to my Mom on the other line. She said she's comfortable for now and I should stick around 1 more year."
Randle - "Rock Chalk Championship."

With all the apologies floating around or demands for apologies here I'd like to offer a few myself.

-I'm sorry to my wife for yelling every 5 minutes or so when another bad call happened.
-I demand an apology from the refs for making those calls every five minutes.
-I'm sorry to Jaybate just because.
-I demand an apology from Jaybate just because.
-I'm sorry to Fred Hoibergs kid for making him cry.
-I demand an apology from the ISU players for giving up a sizable lead in the last couple of minutes and making him cry.
-I'm sorry to ESPN for ..oh forget it.
-I demand an apology from ESPN for their monopoly on sports and ruining the coverage of it with incredible bias and pandering to tthe east coast masses.
-I apologize to my employer for doing this while 'working' right now.
-I demand an apology from my employer from not allowing more time to take care of these important matters.
-I apologize to Jeff Withey for doubting you several years ago.
-I demand an apology from Jeff Withey for making us doubt him several years ago.
-I apologize to KUSports.com for using up countless megabytes of memory on their server with this mindless post.
-I demand an apologize from KUSports.com for allowing us to use up their megabytes of memory with this drivel.

At the risk of someone already commenting on this...have you seen the latest bracket on ESPN as projected by Joe Lunardi? KU #1 in south, facing either Mizzou or Wichita St in the second round (in KC). WOW!!!